1. Technical Field
The present invention relates generally to digital storage; and, more particularly, to digital storage that is accessible by a digital device.
2. Related Art
In recent years, several different storage technologies have emerged, such as NAND based technology, NOR based technologies, SDRAM etc. Some of these types of storage are good for some types of data/content, and have their own drawbacks when employed for other types of data/content. Some technologies that are good for sequential data are not good for randomly accessed data. When data is stored in electronic devices or PCs, they are stored with an expectation of how they will be subsequently accessed. However, such expectations are often unrealistic, and access patterns change over time. Data access following new access patterns end up becoming slow and inefficient, as the storage device is often incapable of efficiently providing access for the new access patterns. This could be due to inherent drawbacks in the corresponding storage device or in the way they are managed.
Most Personal Computers (PCs) have a magnetic hard disk drive. Adding new types of storage is often impossible as the PCs do not support other protocols or adaptors, etc. Thus, users are coerced into buying a new PC when they need additional storage, even if the PCs have sufficient space for accommodating additional storage. Such storage technology obsolescence is a big problem for PC owners.
There are several different types of FLASH memory available in the market. Electronic devices often use one of them for storage. Phase-change memory (also known as PCM, PRAM, PCRAM, Ovonic Unified Memory and Chalcogenide RAM C-RAM) is a type of non-volatile computer memory that is popular in some types of devices. Different flash technologies employ different material, and have different properties. PRAM uses the unique behavior of chalcogenide glass, which can be “switched” between two states, crystalline and amorphous, with the application of heat. It is a new type of technology that is trying to replace Flash technologies, such as NOR and NAND flash, that has become the dominant technology wherever a significant amount of non-volatile, solid-state storage is needed.
These and other limitations and deficiencies associated with the related art may be more fully appreciated by those skilled in the art after comparing such related art with various aspects of the present invention as set forth herein with reference to the figures.